


Amor aeternus (est).

by euphoriapotion



Category: Wonder Woman (Movies - Jenkins)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canonical Character Death, DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV) References, F/M, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Inspired by Once Upon a Time (TV), Past Character Death, Pet Names, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Reincarnation, Roman Myths, Temporary Character Death, here it is, no beta we die like steve (and diana), okay soooo, steve LOVES to give diana pet names in Latin, the reincarnation au nobody wanted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:54:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22886647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euphoriapotion/pseuds/euphoriapotion
Summary: "True love is magic."Greek Princess Diana meets a Roman Soldier Steve - but what will happen when the secret is revealed and the trust is broken? Never mess with a god of war, or you will soon find out.Can Diana and Steve live in peace when gods don't want them to succeed? Can they finally be happy?
Relationships: Aphrodite/Ares, Diana (Wonder Woman)/Steve Trevor
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Amor aeternus (est).

**Author's Note:**

> This should have been a part of Wondertrev Valentine's Day Challenge, ~~but I waited for my beta(s) to edit it~~.
> 
> This fic is inspired by Kendra & Carter from _DC's Legends of Tomorrow_ , as well as a history of Regina and Daniel from _Once Upon A Time_. 
> 
> Huge thanks to Shay for helping with Latin and being so kind and patient with me about it. Thank you so much!
> 
> Flashbacks are in italics (the first flashbacks are from their very first life together, the rest are from the various lives through the ages).
> 
> English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes. No beta, we die like Steve. Title means "Love (is) eternal".
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

Diana was a little child when her life was changed forever. To the humans, she would appear as a ten-year-old, but in reality, she’s lived almost a century already. Demigods age slower than mortals, they have to. She’s only met with other Amazons and demigods who lived on Themyscira, and only a handful of Greek or later, Roman gods. She was not allowed to take up their time, or bother them, with the exception of her half-brothers. So as little as she was, and as little freedom as she had, she had only wanted to help, but she unintentionally destroyed someone else’s happiness. 

Ares was the best brother a girl like her could hope for. He helped Antiope train her, showed her his favorite hiding spots and taught her to fight almost as good as he did. But had a secret, one, that wasn’t really a secret to anyone but his own mother who wouldn’t approve of it.

Hephaestus and his wife, Aphrodite also visited very often. He taught Diana to build things, and he very often gave her a ner shield or an armor she could use, while Aphrodite taught her how to recognize the beauty of the soul and mind that reach beyond a pretty face, and told her stories about love changing people’s lives. Diana loved them all and secretly wished for something similar to happen to her.

The life she had was idyllic, really - until she fell into another goddess disfavor.

Hera knew for a long time that Zeus was not a faithful husband, but, despite all the whispers about her acts of jealousy, she often didn’t do anything about it. Of course, she sometimes lost her patience, but more often than not, she fought with Zeus instead of taking her anger on the women he bed. She believed that their marriage was strong enough and it would last, given a little work. What she didn’t like, however, was the attention Zeus gave to his illegitimate children in front of her.

She hated Heracles, not because he wasn’t hers, but because Zeus loved him more than he loved their own children, Ares and Hephaestus. She might have have been very fond of them either, but deep down she cared for them. She didn’t mind little Diana; the girl only wanted to be a warrior and Zeus didn’t pay her any attention most of the time. Hera was okay with that. And she did sometimes visit Diana as well, complementing her fighting progress and telling her stories about Olympus. It didn’t happen often, but Hera didn’t mind it.

Juno, however, was a different story. When Rome took over and the Empire was created, almost more of the gods changed; became more violent in some ways. Hera Juno was more vengeful than her Greek counterpart; she didn’t forgive that easily. Hippolyta warned little Diana about her, but poor Diana wasn’t listening to her mother as intently as she should have.

So when Zeus, or Jupiter, as he was known at the time, decided to one day pay a visit to Themyscira, he also spent time with Diana. Juno didn’t like that at all. But before she could do anything about it, Mars ( _“You can still call me Ares, Diana.”_ ) was there as well, to spend some time with his half-sister.

When Antiope took her home, Diana realized that she’s left her wooden sword at the hill she’s practiced on. So she slipped through the window and ran back there, careful not to be seen. But what she saw instead stopped her in tracks.

“Ares? Why are you kissing Aphrodite?”

It took a lot of time to calm Diana down and explain the situation.

“Listen to me, little one,” said Aphrodite, kneeling down to held Diana’s gaze. “Hephaestus, your other brother… He is a kind and fair man. But I don’t love him.” She whispered.

Diana tried very hard not to cry. “I don’t understand. Why not?”

“Love doesn’t work that way,” answered Aphrodite simply. “I should know, I’m the goddess of it.” When Diana tilted her head in confusion, Aphrodite continued. “Love… true love,” she glimpsed at Ares, standing next to her, “is magic.”

Diana started to cheer up. “And not just any magic,” continued the goddess of love, “the most powerful magic of all.” Seeing Diana’s little smile, she beamed at her. “It creates happiness.”

Diana nodded. “And Ares… You love him.” She glanced at her older brother.

“With all my heart, “answered Aphrodite.

Seeing happiness at her brother’s face, Diana remembered all the stories Aphrodite was telling her about; all the adventures and confessions of love; every stolen moment the couple managed to get; and the happiness it gave them. If she couldn’t have her own love story yet, she would be sure to give it to her family instead : “Then you must marry soon. I will go tell Heph right away!”

“No, no, no, no no!” Ares caught her arm. “You can’t.”

“Why not? Surely he’ll understand.” Diana was confused. He might not like that his marriage wasn’t working out, but, as Aphrodite had said, he was a good man. He would help.

“Perhaps, but not everyone will,” Ares continued, “Our mother for once, she’ll… stand in the way.” 

“That’s why you’re hiding.” Nodded Diana. It all started to make sense.

“Yes. She’s the goddess of many things, but most importantly, the marriage. She’d never forgiven me or Aphrodite for what we’re doing.” His voice hardened. “I love my brother and I know it’s not right, but it’s the only way our love can survive. Please, Diana,” he softened his voice, “If you really, truly, want to help us, what you saw, what we told you, you must keep it a secret. My mother can never know. Can you do that?” 

God of war brought to his knees. Of course that Diana would help him. She knew what a secret was, she could keep it.

“You can never speak of this. And above all, you mustn't tell my mother. Will you do that for me?”

“Yes. I promise.”

It wasn’t as easy as she thought. Hippolyta and Antiope could never know. Diana could do this. It wasn’t the first secret she kept from them. But when Juno came to visit and complain about Ares withdrawing from her, Diana couldn’t hide it any longer. She didn’t want Ares to lose his mother. And the promise of help and support made by Juno convinced her to tell her the truth.

It was hard. She really did try not to say anything. But Juno was clever. She heard what Ares has told the girl. “My mother can never know.” So she manipulated Diana to break her promise.

“A mother knows her children, Mars… Ares pulled away. I love him so much, but he’s not letting me help him and I… I know he’s unhappy. He should be happy, Rome and Greece are fighting constantly and as a god of war, it should bring him joy. “She sighed.” Has he said something? I’d do anything to make him happy.”

Diana hesitated. “You’d do anything?” Maybe Ares was wrong. Maybe Hera would help him.

“Of course, dear. I don’t want to lose my sons. If only I could show them how I feel, that no matter what I want is their happiness.”

Diana stood up and took Hera’s hand. “Then don’t make Aphrodite stay married to Hephaestus.”

“I’m sorry?”

“She doesn't’ love him. She’s in love with someone else; my other brother.”

Juno looked stunned. Diana was afraid that she made a mistake, but she had to continue. She only anted to reunite Ares with his mother. She didn’t know what she’d do if she lost hers.

“They made me promise not to tell, but he’ll lose you. He can’t lose his mother. No one should.”

Poor Diana couldn’t have known the consequences of her actions; she genuinely thought she was helping her brother and sister-in-law. Only when she was an adult, she found out the truth; Aphrodite was killed by Hera (she was told that she was on a mission among humans, bringing mortals love and hope during the wars and that she wouldn’t be back for a while) and Ares blamed her.

“What’s that?”

They were at the same hill she’s first seen Ares and Aphrodite kissing, so many centuries ago. She was looking at the stone with an engraved heart.

“A gravestone,” answered Ared deadly. Diana glanced at him. She looked puzzled. “Aphrodite’s grave.”

Diana watched him in silence. “Aphrodite?” She finally asked. “I thought-”

“She was sent to help mortals? I told you this to spare your feelings out of… kindness. But she died because of you.”

Diana looked lost. “I… I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.” He didn’t look sorry, though. He looked ready to attack, like the wolf seeing a defenseless sheep. “But nothing can change what happened, what you did. You promised to keep my secret,” he added when Diana stayed quiet. His voice broke. “You promised, but you lied.”

“I was very young,” She wanted to explain herself, “and your mother-”

“She ripped her heart out because of you! Because you couldn’t listen to me, to us!” He pointed at the grave.“

Diana sighed. She felt horrible for betraying his trust. She was devasted upon hearing of Aphrodite’s death. She looked up to her and now she was gone. She couldn’t bear it.

“So this is what’s gonna happen, princess. From now on, we’re at war.” His eyes turned red and Diana saw the fire in them. “As soon as you find your own true love, they will be ripped away from you, forever. And you’ll be gone soon after. Only then you can feel my pain. Only then I can be finally at peace.”

She didn’t believe him. Not for a long time. Not, until she met Steve. Not until he’d killed them both for the very first time. _  
_

* * *

_The man was beautiful. He was wearing a Roman armor, broken in some places. He was laying on the beach; his blond hair spread on the sand, still wet from the ocean._

_“Wow,” he mumbled, bewildered, upon seeing her. The angel saved him. She was stunning._

_“You’re… a man” Diana hesitated. She’s never met a human. Everyone on Themyscira was an immortal being. She couldn’t help it; she laughed of pure joy._

_“Yeah. I mean..” he was convinced he was dreaming. What do you say to that? “Do I not look like one?”_ _  
_

* * *

_“We have to stop the war,” he said._

_“War? What war?”_

_What did she mean? Surely she knew what he was talking about. “The-the war.” The horrible manslaughter that didn’t end, and, if his information was right if Hannibal himself decided to join the fight, millions more would die. “The war to end all wars.”_ _  
_

* * *

_“Would you say you’re… a typical example of your sex?”_

_“I am…” He hesitated. He wasn’t sure what to say. Finally, he settled on: “Above average.”_

* * *

_“Marriage?” She asked on their way to Rome. She didn’t know the human custom._

_“You go before an augur, and you swear to love honor and,” he didn’t want to talk about it. Knowing his luck he would never marry, no matter how much he had wanted that as a child and no matter how much his father wanted that for him. “Cherish each other until death do you part.” He finished quickly._

_She was smiling. “And do they? Love each other till death?”_

_“Not very often, no.”_

_“Then why do they do it?”_

_And wasn’t that a good question. “I…” Because they love each other for a while. Because life is short. Because they don’t want to be alone. Because for some, that’s their escape. Because others didn't have a choice in the matter. Because they hope for something greater. “Have no idea.”_ _  
_

* * *

_“And you, Princess Diana of Themyscira, do you take this man as your husband and promise to love him for all eternity?”_ _  
_ _I do.”_ _  
_

* * *

It didn’t last long. Ares kept his promise. He broke into their chambers one night and fatally wounded Steve right in front of Diana, who later blamed herself for not being fast enough. She grabbed a dagger laying on her nightstand and stabbed Ares with it in his ribs. But before she could do anything else, Ares stood up, pulled it out and stabbed Steve with it instead. Her beloved fell on the floor. Diana rushed to him, but as she reached him she didn’t notice Ares swinging the dagger onto her. 

“Behind you”, grunted Steve but it was too late. The knife was thrust into her and she fell on the ground next to her lover. There was no one there to help. Only Ares standing above them, victorious at last.

“I did tell you what would happen.”

No, it couldn’t be the end! Diana said a quick prayer to her father. “Zeus, your daughter needs you now. We need your protection.”

As the ground started to shake, Ares looked furious. He sensed the energy of Heaven and Underworld protecting the couple laying on the floor. As if the Zeus with Hades and Persephone themselves wanted to protect the young couple. “You will never escape me, princess! My hate will be everlasting. My enmity will never die. And I’ll follow you from this life to the next, and to the next, and to the next.”

They only had a few seconds before dying. She was watching his face contorted with anguish and pain. “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you.” She whispered.

“And I’ll love you until my last,” he whispered back, gripping her hand. “And if what he’s saying it’s true if we somehow see each other again in the next lives…” He took a shaky breath. “Amor noster aeternus est. I will wait for eternity.” She cried. She didn’t want this to be the last time they see each other. “Come back to me,” he closed his eyes at last.

And she did. They reincarnated a few years later. Only Steve remembered their previous life. The next time, Diana did. Steve had no clue. Sometimes they didn’t remember at all, but in every life they found each other. And Ares always killed them to revenge his dead love. To bring them more pain, he waited until they’d remember who they were and find each other. 

* * *

_“Ares has murdered us countless of times and we aren’t always lucky to die together.”_

_“This is awfully depressing talk for an anniversary, don’t you think, mea lux?”_

* * *

_“I don’t don’t want to face Ares, or life… without you.”_

* * *

_He has found Aphrodite. Juno lied to her son after all, she didn’t kill her; she imprisoned her instead. Poor goddess of love lost hope a long time ago. She knew What Juno did and why; she stopped blaming Diana millennia ago. She only wished her love would stop being stubborn and let go of hatred._

_Steve saw the security footage of the room in the mental hospital nearby. He never had a chance to set her free, however, because before he could get to her, he noticed Ares watching him from the car parked across the street. Their time was up. He had to save his family first; they were more important for him._

_“He found us!” He yelled, as soon as he ran into the motel room they were staying in. Diana looked at him with wide eyes and grabbed their little daughter Stephanie, and her suitcase from under the bed. They were ready for this eventuality. They’d discussed it before._

_“You stay put in the closet, sweetheart.” She said tearfully. “We’ve talked about this. No matter what you hear, you stay put. And after you make sure you’re alone, you will call auntie Etta. She’ll take care of you. But only when you make sure nobody is here anymore.”_

_“Is the bad guy here?” Asked ten-year-old girl. She understood what she had to do; her parents told her about it many times. But she always thought it would never happen again. The story their parents said was impossible and yet Steph believed them. But she didn’t want to leave; she loved her parents too much._

_Steve looked into her eyes. “Yes. But remember, we love you. We always have and always will.”_

_Stephanie hugged him. “Daddy, I don’t want to go!” She cried._

_“Stevie,” he told her, “Please, forgive us, but we don’t have a choice. We’d love to stay with you if we could, but we have to fight. We want to come back, but if we won’t… You remember what we told you, right?”_

_“That if I ever ran into you into your next life, you might not remember me.” Her lower lip quivered and tears streamed down her face._

_“I’m sorry, my love,” said Diana. “If we had any other choice, we would take it. But Ares can never know that you exist.”_

_“Auntie Etta will take care of you, mea voluptas. She won’t let anything happen to you.” Steve hugged her one more time, before letting her go. “Stay hidden. No matter what happens, you stay put. Don’t let Ares recognize you. And in the future… Find us.”_

_Diana took Stephanie into her arms. It broke her to leave her, but she didn’t have a choice._

_“Be careful, my little sun. Always keep moving. Be always one step ahead of him. And now, into the closet. Promise me.”_

_“I promise.”_ _  
_

* * *

Her steps were light and full of grace and she felt like flying above the floor. The couples twirling around them made it look like a scene from a fairytale: a royal ball, perhaps, with the two of them in the middle. His hand on her waist was warm and made her feel safe; her hand is his felt like it _belonged_ there. His eyes showed the same admiration she felt towards him; the light from outside shined on his face enhancing his already strong jawline and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. The slow music filled her ears making her feel like nothing else matters. No job tomorrow morning; no responsibilities and definitely not an evil step-brother trying to get her fired (and killed, though fortunately not for now) - it was just the two of them against the world.

His little smile made her blush. He’s never looked at her with such love in this life, even though she wished he had. His eyes fell on her lips and she looked down. She’d give anything for him to remember who they were. She still needed to find a way to defeat Ares, but she needed Steve; she believed that with him by her side they could do anything this time. She needed him to remember. Alas, that was not the case at the moment. She gave a little sigh. When she was finally able to look him in the eyes she tried to hold his gaze; she was going to get him back tonight. After all, that was what she promised their daughter before she left. But it was hard to look into her husband’s face and seeing no recognition in his eyes. He believed his name was Robert Terrian, a deputy sheriff, and she was Emily Crown, a journalist. No Roman soldiers or Greek princesses this time, no Punic wars, no Greek gods trying to kill them, no happiness and broken hearts. No daughter. This hurt Diana the most; not the fact that Steve forgot _her_ , but the fact that he didn’t recognize his daughter, despite seeing her every day. It wasn’t his fault and she knew that. The reincarnation was a lottery; you could never know which one of you, if any, would remember the truth.

When Diana first heard of a charity ball, she thought that it would provide a great opportunity. Not only she could try to remind Steve of who she was, but she could also find out more information about what did Ares plan this time; he was always planning something, killing her and Steve wasn’t enough anymore. As a journalist, uncovering buried secrets and revealing evil plans to the public was her job. She didn’t like that Ares was a mayor and she liked even less him working with Dr. Isabel Maru; she dreaded to think what he was planning this time, but she knew she’d stop him. She could only hope she could do it before he killed her or any innocent people. Steve being a deputy sheriff, was a struck of good luck. She hoped that it was a sign that it would work out this time.

She first met Steve in this life when he arrested her for reckless driving - right after she almost hit him with her car. In her defense, she was trying to go around a wolf that was standing in the middle of the road - but for some reason, Steve didn’t see the animal. That didn’t stop her falling in love with him yet again when she first laid eyes on him, as soon as she stepped out from the car to check if he was alright. It didn’t stop him from arresting her on a spot either.

The next morning, when she saw him again, this time in daylight, she couldn’t stop mourning their relationship. Their daughter was in her early fifties, and for most of her life, she was alone. Poor Etta was long dead and Steph didn’t see her parents at all after she turned ten. Ares took them away from her when she was only a child. They came back to life only a couple of years ago, but only Diana remembered who she was from the moment she’s met her; but Steve was none the wiser. Stephanie might have got used to it, but Diana wished that wasn’t the case. Being halftime younger than your own daughter was a horrible feeling. She wished they’d never been separated in the first place.

With her help, Steve and Diana grew closer every day. He didn’t remember his past lives, but he did have “strange feelings of deja-vu” more often.

Despite everything, Stephanie stayed optimistic and was ecstatic when she found out her parents would be going together to the charity ball.

“You are finally going on a proper date, mom” She hugged her. “I can’t wait until we can finally be a family again. As weird as it would be, having younger parents than me, I am also hopeful for tomorrow.”

“I really hope that’s the case, Steph,” said Diana, putting her hand n her daughter’s chin. She hated the fact that their family was ripped apart and even if they defeated Ares, their lives would never be the same. Stevie might have grown up and be fine now, but Diana knew that she would never see her baby again. Her family would never be the same, no matter how much they’d wish for it.

“Sir Patrick is not gonna win this time,” Stevie said going through the jewelry box on Diana’s desk and choosing the earrings that her mother had to wear. “We have to believe in the power of love. I do believe that it will work.”

When Diana brought the subject of the charity ball to Steve during their lunch break he laughed. Not because he didn’t want to come, but because Diana didn’t know how to dance. She took his opinion as a personal affront when he told her so. They danced multiple times, he just didn’t remember. For now, Diana reminded herself. It was a comforting thought.

“Of course, I know how to dance,” she hit him lightly in the arm, “but what you’re thinking about is not dancing, it’s swaying.” They had a similar conversation before. Even if it wouldn’t help him remember, she was curious to see what he’d say and do this time around.

“Okay,” he sighed and put his cup on the desk. They were the only people in her office as he took out his phone and, after a moment, played a random slow song.” If you’re going to fight this jackass,” he said, referring to the mayor, “I might as well teach you how to dance, you poor thing.” She raised her eyebrow. Poor thing? Really? He was digging his grave at this point. “Alright, probably without the gun,” he added, putting his weapon on her desk.

Diana smirked at his antics.

“Madame,” he said dramatically as he stood up and reached out to her. ”If you would.”

She pretended to think. “Well…” she started, putting down her coffee. “If I’m going to a gala I need to know how to dance.” She took his hand and stood up.

“You’re not going to the gala.”

“Of course, I am.”

“No, you’re not,” he laughed.

She shot him a grin. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, for one, it’s not a gala. The town can’t afford one,” he said, leading her away to the relatively empty spot in her office. “For another, you don’t know how to dance.”

He took her other hand in.

“I would argue that you don’t know how to dance,” she pointed out.

“Be polite, be polite, you asked me to go with you, not the other way around.” He put his hand on her lower back. “I’m gonna put my arm around you, like so.” They started moving to the rhythm of the music. “And we just… What do you call it? _Sway?_ Then we just sway.” He started swinging, Diana automatically followed.

They danced like that for a few minutes. Diana’s heart pounded so loud she was wondering how didn’t he hear it. She wasn’t going to be shy, however. He was still her best friend and she wasn’t going to let him tease her the entire time. She hard time concentrating though, he was awfully close. She didn’t realize she said it out loud until she heard him answer.

“That’s what... it’s all about”. He suddenly looked shy.

“I see,” she whispered. Only then did they realize that the song ended a while ago.

Despite telling Stephanie that it was not a date, and there was a slim chance of Steve regaining his memories this evening, Diana’s heart fluttered faster in her chest once she heard the doorbell. Upon opening the door she couldn’t look away from Steve and she found he couldn’t take his eyes off her either; she could only hope something would come out of it this evening.

“Miss Crown,” the voice startled her and brought her to reality. She turned around to see sir Patrick looking at her expectantly, “I am so pleased you could come here to support what we’re doing here.” He smiled. Diana barely contained the grimace threatening to show on her face. “Deputy sheriff Terrian. Do you mind if I steal miss Prince for a moment?”

Diana narrowed her eyes. She didn’t like her brother acting this way; she didn’t have a choice however, she couldn’t let him know what she was planning. She simply nodded to Steve, who, after a while, went to get sime drinks. Diana glared at Ares and missed the concerned look Steve sent her.

Ares, _no, he goes by sir Patrick now_ , Diana reminded herself, took her hand, and reluctantly, Diana put her left hand on his arm.

“I am extremely happy that you’re here, Miss Crown”, his oily voice rang in her ear. Diana didn’t flinch. Only the experience stopped her from doing something stupid, like getting into a fight in the middle of the town hall. “I am relieved that someone so competent like you will cover the story for _Daily Mirror_. Do you enjoy yourself?”

She was, until he started bothering her. Not, that she’d tell him that, obviously.

“Everything looks fantastic,” she said, looking him in the eye. She might not be able to take him down yet, but she won’t let him threaten her. “And the charity cause is very well picked. I’m sure people will be grateful for helping them get clean water.” She scanned the crowd. “Tell me, sir Patrick, do all of your guests appreciate the cause?”

Ares glanced at her and looked in the same direction as Diana. His grip on her hand became stronger. He was threatening her. “I assure you, everyone here has every right to be here. Some even more so than others.”

Diana arched her eyebrow. “Are you referring to Dr. Maru, known by the people as Dr. Poison? Because according to the reports from the Sheriff’s office, she’s the reason why the water in the whole area is undrinkable.”

Ares narrowed his eyes. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken. But if you didn’t flirt with the deputy sheriff and did your job, you would know this.” He spun her around and walked away, leaving her in the middle of the floor. She narrowed her eyes at him. Gods, did she hate him. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to suspect that the knows anything; he was simply taunting her. He probably hoped it would make her remember, just to take Steve away once she gets him back. She watched him with distaste. She missed her brother the way he used to be; kind and gentle; patient and loving. She wanted to be his sister again, not an enemy,

The movement in the corner of the eye caught her attention and she peered in that direction. The tall woman was standing near the shadows, watching her. Her shiny, dark hair framing her face in waves only enhanced how stunning she was.

Hera. Diana turned around and walked into the balcony, leaving the other woman behind. Thinking of Hera wasn’t a good idea She took a deep breath and tried to chase away her thoughts, to no avail.

“You look like you need this.” Steve joined her at the balcony, holding a glass with a golden liquor in his outstretched hand. Diana took it with grace. “So what did the prick want?”

Diana hid her smile and looked at the garden beneath them. “He wanted a good press.” She sighed. 

“Not a great way of doing this by insulting the best journalist in the town,” answered Steve dryly. A quick glance at Steve showed him looking into the town hall with a grimace on his face. “I can’t believe this guy is still a mayor.” He shook his head.

“Are-Sir Patrick implied that the information you got on him and Dr. Maru is inaccurate. I have no idea how did he even know about our investigation in the first place.”

Before Steve could answer, Diana felt something wet hitting her arm. She looked up and saw snowflakes falling down from the sky. She smiled. She loved snow from the first moment she saw it when she and Steve were dancing after a battle.

_It startled her at first. She wasn’t sure what it was, they didn’t have this kind of weather on Themyscira. Steve squeezed her hand reassuringly upon seeing her surprised face. He laughed; not because he thought it was funny, but because he found her reaction adorable. She looked beautiful staring at the snow in amazement._

_“It’s, uh… It’s a snowfall,” he said quietly, looking at her shining eyes. He glanced at the snow but he soon found out that he couldn’t look away from the woman in front of him. Diana, meanwhile, was looking everywhere and was shocked that no other people around them found the snow as beautiful as she did. “Touch it.”_

_She reached her hand up and laughed. It was astonishing. She wished they had snow on her home island._

_“It’s magical,” she exclaimed._

_“It is, isn’t it?” Steve was still watching her, the affectionate smile on his lips. “It is, yeah.” He looked up as soon as Diana gazed back at him._

“Snowfall.” She heard his quiet voice. She smiled. 

“It’s pretty magical, isn’t it?” He smiled back at her. Diana held her breath. She knew it wouldn’t be enough to make him remember, but she had to try anything.

As she reached out to shake the snow from Steve’s shoulder, she noticed him stepping closer to her. The slow music from the room perfectly described her feelings at the moment. 

_Hold on to me cause I’m a little unsteady._

She took a shaky breath and put the hand on his chin and he reached out to touch her cheek. They looked into each other’s eyes, until finally, after what felt like centuries, Steve pressed his lips to hers. Her other hand gripped his waist under his opened suit. He put his other hand on her back, drawing her even closer. His lips were just like she remembered; soft, warm and safe. She felt home.

Steve melted against her and soon was kissing her back. His left hand grabbed her hair, while his right hand moved into her hair; their bodies were pressed together and she held onto him for dear life, pouring all her love into the kiss as she could.

She knew he was special, from the first moment she laid her eyes on him. He changed her life and for that, she would be forever grateful.

_The plane was crashing down. Faster than she usual, Diana jumped into the water. She finally noticed the pilot stuck into his seat, still conscious and trying to get out._

She felt his tongue and she opened her mouth to let him in. He pressed her against the railing. Her hand moved and her fingers touched him lightly on his chin. Subtly. Softly. Carefully. Gently. Their kiss was the exact opposite of that; they kissed as fiercely now as they did for the first time; and he felt like he was on fire. He desperately welcomed that feeling.

 _“My name is Legatus Steve Trevor,_ _Rēs pūblica Rōmāna_ _,” he looked around, uneasy. The whole army of women dressed in greek uniforms was standing around him, looking at him with hate in their eyes, “formerly known as soldier number 8141921, that’s all I’m at liberty to s…” he groaned. Why was he telling them all this stuff? He was wrapped into a golden rope, kneeling. He tried to resist, but the longer he stayed silent, the more it burned. He hated it. “Assigned by the Roman consul to protect the Republic from Punici.” he took a deep breath and looked around at the woman holding the rope. He has never betrayed the consul before, not even while being tortured. Why did this happen now? “What the hell is this thing?” He will not let Graecis bring the_ _Rēs pūblica_ _down. He would rather die._

_“The Lasso of Hestia compels you to reveal the truth.” said the angel who saved him. But why did she have to be Graecia?_

_And then she left her country by his side to help Romans fight their war. She was amazing._

They didn’t hear anything anymore, the loud music coming from the dancefloor didn’t matter. They forgot about all the townsfolk who could see them; it was just them at the moment and nothing else mattered.

_Ares killed them over and over again in every life. They kept finding one another, but despite their efforts, their happiness didn’t last long; they were lucky if they had months at the time. The new ways to defeat Ares weren’t working. He won each time._

She’d missed him. Missed having conversations till dawn. Missed kissing him and spending nights with her husband. Missed raising a daughter together. Missed them.

_He couldn’t avert his eyes when she stepped out of the changing room. Even in the simple coat and the hat she was magnificent. He had to do something or he wouldn’t be able to focus on giving the information to British Intelligence._

_“_ _Ms. Candy, the whole point was to make her look less ...distracting.” he told his assistant with reproach. He handed Diana (Em, her name was Em, not that she remembered) glasses._

_“Really? specs? And suddenly she’s not the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen?”_

_She was, but he wouldn’t admit that out loud. not, while she still didn’t remember who she was._

Finally, after what felt like hours, he pulled back. He pressed their foreheads together while they both looked like a fish gasping for air. He took a strand of her hair away from her face and looked at her strangely when she slowly opened her eyes.

_He had to stop it. The Great War was still in full swing and he had to do something about it. He didn’t want to leave her again, but he had to. Otherwise, Ares would poison the entire world. He had to take the plane somewhere unpopulated where he would safely get rid of gas. And then he could come home. It was a good plan. it was their only plan._

_Diana was thrown away by her brother. Steve immediately ran up to her side and helped her get up. She was bruised and battered, but still alive. He pressed their foreheads together._

_“I have to go,” he said._

_Diana looked into his eyes. He wasn’t joking. “What are you saying?” She whispered. “Steve,” she begged. Please, don’t go. Please, don’t leave me. Not this time. We can win, this time. “Whatever it is, I can do it.”_

_“No,” he interrupted, his voice full of worry. “No, no.”_

_“Let me do it.”_

_He didn’t. “No. It has to be me. It has to be me,” he repeated as she shook her head. “You’ll just find me later. We can defeat him together, stop this madness. Me from this end, and you in combat. Just make sure to come back for me, yeah?”_

_She looked at him, seeing, but not believing. Did they really have a chance this time? He’d take the plane full of poison out of here and she’d simply find him later?_

_“Mea vita, I can save today, you can save the world,” Steve added hurryingly. He smiled. He watched his beautiful wife and tried to give her hope. If this was the last time she saw him, he wanted her to remember his smile and the love he had for her. But if there was a chance this could work… His smile only grew. Ares was not strong enough to kill them both this time, right? They had a chance this time around._

_He looked over his shoulder at the plane. It was time to go. He was suddenly at a loss of words. He wanted to tell her how badly he loved her, how much he believed in them. He shook his head. He had to leave. “I wish we had more time,” he said._

_Diana felt like she was still in a haze. “What? What are you saying?” she whispered desperately._

_Steve took off his wristwatch, the same one Diana gifted him decades ago and put it into her palm. He kissed her quick and desperate kisses and finally let go. “I love you!” He shouted and ran away. He had a plane to catch. Diana looked at her hand and saw the wristwatch. She nearly broke down crying, but she didn’t have the luxury of time; she had to defeat her brother, once and for all._

_But all the hope and strength and love was not enough; Ares somehow overpowered her and forced her to watch as he destroyed the plane with Steve in it. His plan didn’t work, the poison was destroyed. But what good did it do when her husband was gone again? It wasn’t long until he killed her too._

“Diana?” he whispered. Her breath hitched. He frantically looked at her face seemingly searching for something. She didn’t move.

 _“This is No Man’s land, Diana!” he yelled. He didn’t know where the “Diana” came from. “Emmeline. It means no man can cross it, alright, this battalion has been here for nearly the year and they… “his voice broke. “They barely gained an inch. Alright?” She needed to understand; he was a soldier here, while she was a spy; she might have had some spy training but not the one to survive the constant firing. “_ _Because on the other side, there are a bunch of Nazis… pointing machine guns at every square inch of this place. This is not something you can cross. This is not possible.”_

_“So what, so we do nothing?” Diana demanded. She noticed Steve using her first name, her real name, but she thought it was merely subconscious, not the real memories resurfacing._

_“No, we do- we are doing something, we are, we just,” he needed her to understand. he couldn’t lose her like that. “We can’t save everyone in this war,” he added when Sameer grabbed his arm and pulled him away. “This is not what we came here to do.” He just hoped she’d understand._

_“No,” she said after a while, “but this is what I’m going to do.”_

_He turned around, what Sameer was saying didn’t matter anymore. She was climbing the ladder and going into the No Man’s Land and no matter how much he begged her to return, she ignored him. “Diana!” He shouted, terrified._

_She was walking through the area dodging bullets like they were nothing. He’s never been more scared and proud before in his life. She was divine._

_“What the bloody hell is she playin’ at?” yelled Charlie._

_Steve was mesmerized. Charlie’s question sprung him into action._

_“She’s taking all the fire, let’s go!” He ran after her. He had to get to her. It wasn’t just the fact that she was a spy, not a soldier; he loved her. The realization nearly knocked him off balance. He had to help her, somehow. He faintly heard Charlie and the others screaming something, but he wasn’t paying attention anymore. Diana was all that mattered._

_The fire pinned her down. He raced into her direction and crouched nearby. A quick glance showed she was okay, the shield somehow protecting her. He didn’t know how was that possible, but he didn’t allow himself a time to wonder about it; he took a gun out and shot the enemy lines. Charlie was next to him, doing the same, He caught Diana’s eye and nodded. On the other side of her, Sameer and Chief were doing everything in their power to help as well. Soon, Diana was able to charge in again and jump so high into the air and so far no human was able to. And the fog in Steve’s brain lifted._

_“I remember,” he whispered, running after her. He had to find his wife._

“I remember.”

Diana thought she misheard him but one look at her husband confirmed it. He was overjoyed. “I remembered,” he repeated.

Diana sighed with relief. “My beloved,” she whispered.

Steve smiled brightly in response. “Meus amor Graecus. You found me.”

“Did you ever doubt I would?”

Steve chuckled. “Truthfully, the… forty-something times Ares killed us gave me a pause.”

“Forty-one,” she whispered.

Steve put her face in his hands. “And he will never take another one from us. Because now, we got the advantage.”

“What do you mean?” She asked. She’d give everything for Ares to be a family again, instead of a mortal enemy.

“Aphrodite. Juno didn’t kill her, but she did imprison her. And I know where she was last time he found us.”

“And you think this will be enough? That Ares will simply move on and forget? That we deserve to be forgiven for my mistake?”

Steve kissed her forehead. “It’s not about deserve, it’s about what you believe. And I believe that he really loves her enough to forgive us.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “We have to try and reunite them. It’s our only chance. It won’t be easy, she could be somewhere else now, but we gotta try. And after that…” His smile was bright and full of hope. “Once we do that, we’re going home. I want to see our daughter. And I want us to have a proper home this time. We can do it.”

Diana smiled in response. Her heart was full of hope for the future when they left the party. They had much work to do, but at least they were together again.

**Author's Note:**

> "Amor noster aeternus est" - Our love is eternal
> 
> "mea lux" - my light
> 
> "mea voluptas" - my joy
> 
> "Legatus" - high ranking Roman millitary officer in the Roman Army; officer in command of a legion in the Republic.
> 
> "Rēs pūblica Rōmāna" - Roman Republic
> 
> "Punici" - Punics
> 
> "Graecis" - Greek women; in this case, Amazons
> 
> "mea vita" - my life
> 
> "Meus amor Graecus" - My Greek Love


End file.
